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For the longest time, I've drooled over Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel features of their magnificant farmhouse table sets. The rustic wood, the finishes, the combination of crisp white paint distressed at the edges and dark toned stain may have gotten me daydreaming a time or two! But one thing stood in my way......I couldn't stomach the hefty price tag of 750.00+, nor did I want to! $750.00....that's like groceries for 8 weeks in my family. Kinda crazy. Surely those big name tables had to be built with quality materials....or were they? I decided it was time we build one of our own.....

Where do many of us look when an idea strikes and we immediately need a visual? PINTEREST. Ahhhh....how we love Pinterest. As I skimmed through pin after pin, I found a variety of DIY tables and noticed my eye always went to the simple designs. After my husband and I decided on size, style/frame, and functionality of the table (we really wanted to secure an umbrella through the center), we took measurements, decided on the type of wood and stain color. My husband jumped on the project and headed to Menards for the wood. ( I think in his subconscious he also dreamed of a farmhouse table). Meanwhile I dreamed about my soon-to-be farmhouse table....and went shopping for an umbrella and outdoor rug. Our patio was in serious need of some color and ambiance!

Below you see the table before stain and paint. I want you to see the final structure of the table now, so you can put all the steps together in your head as you read them! If you're a visual learner like I am, you like this idea.

Supplies needed for a farmhouse table like this one:

1. 4- 4x4 boards. These will be your table legs. You can cut them to size, depending on your desired table height. We measured our existing patio table height and went with 29" 4x4's.

2. 7- 1x6 boards. These are the boards you see below, and will be your table top. We made them 5 feet long, as we wanted a 5 foot long table!

3. 6-1x4 boards: See photo below. These are the supporting boards for the table top, as well as the perimeter of your table. For this table we cut 2 boards to 5 feet (table length), and 4 boards cut to 3 feet (table width). Again, depending on what size table you desire, these measurements will vary.

4. Electric drill

5. Screws: at corners of table and ends of table 9 (length wise). Basically anywhere you feel a screw is necessary. use your own judgement!

6. Jig saw, or a circular drill bit. If you desire an umbrella hole in your table, you will need this tool. It may seem simple, but don't forget to make sure the hole is big enough, but not too big, to securely hold the umbrella pole.

7. Liquid nails: Apply to the tops of your supporting 1x4 boards running across width of table. (sorry no picture for this step!). Then lay your 1x6 boards over these. To ensure the glue adheres, push down on the tops of the 1x6 boards, where the supporting boards and top boards make contact. Placing something flat/heavy over them to ensure they are as flush to the supporting boards as possible also works. Not all boards are created equal, and your table surface won't be perfectly smooth/flat. That is why i love this type of project. It doesn't have to be perfect and that's what makes it great.

8. Stain: I used MinWax, in Dark Walnut. This is a rich brown stain, which I love! If you prefer a lighter shade, there are many to choose from. Walmart, Menards, and any paint store have stain. I use an old t-shirt when staining. Wear gloves too! it's messy and your hands will turn brown without gloves!

here you see the shiny layer of the spar urethane. Again, 3 coats is recommended, with light sanding between coats once dry (allow 4 hours to dry)

8. Paint: I used my home-made chalk paint in white for the legs. I distressed each leg using sandpaper to give it that aged look.

And that's it! Our new table is still waiting to be taken to our patio......just needs one more coat of protective urethane! I'm excited to get out the new rug and plop that baby under the new table. The patio will look so much more inviting. Did I mention the umbrella is navy? Navy is my fav! Stay tuned to final photo......

Total time: about 3 hours. Cost: $90.00. And to be perfectly honest, I like this table better than some I've seen at high-end stores! THAT is why DIY (do-it-yourself) projects are so awesome!

Did this post inspire you to build something? Have you ever tried a DIY project using wood? What was it? I'd love to hear about your DIY successes!